A towpath in the rain
Canal towpaths are the most forgiving walks there are. They are level, they do not get lost, and every few miles there is a lock with a bench beside it. In heavy rain they are also almost empty.
I set out at nine with a forecast of showers, which turned into one long shower that lasted until four. The water on the canal looked like hammered metal. Narrowboats had their stove chimneys going and the smoke lay flat on the surface.
Twenty-two kilometres, three locks, one swing bridge that needed a key I did not have. A boater waved me across while she held it open with her foot. That was the only conversation of the day and it was a good one.
